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ABC News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Organist James O'Donnell shares what it's like working with the royals at Westminster Abbey
Depending on who you ask, the planning for British royal occasions might be the best- or worst-kept secrets in the world. Some of these plans have been in place for years, even decades. When James O'Donnell was the Organist and Master of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey, he was involved in the years-long planning of the music for these historic occasions. This included working with composers to write new music for the events. Currently visiting Australia, O'Donnell reveals some of the behind-the-scenes workings of the royal church, and what it was like when his home turned into a high security zone. Music plays an integral part in enhancing the splendour of British royalty throughout history, much of which takes place in Westminster Abbey. When the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, died in 2002, her funeral was held at the 1000-year-old royal church. "I've never been involved in anything quite like that," O'Donnell says. O'Donnell started his role in 2000, and very soon after, the funeral was his first state occasion of international magnitude. "One had a very strong sense that she represented a whole generation of British life," O'Donnell says. "It came home to me on that occasion that one day in the distant future, Her Majesty the Queen would die as well." Queen Elizabeth's funeral planning reportedly began in the 1960s. Despite being involved in organising its music, O'Donnell never thought he would be there to see it through. It turned out to be the last state funeral O'Donnell oversaw. Part of O'Donnell's job is to identify and work with composers who have been approved to write music for royal occasions. "Commissioning music cannot be done at the time of a death of a monarch," O'Donnell says. "It's all done very discreetly and there's no guarantee that the music which has been commissioned will be included in the final draft." O'Donnell did have at least one composer he could rely on, Master of the Queen's music, a position at the time held by British composer Judith Weir. Weir wrote a new anthem for Elizabeth's funeral, Like As The Hart, alongside another British composer, James McMillan, who wrote Who Shall Separate Us. One musical choice harked back to Elizabeth's 1952 coronation: Ralph Vaughan Williams's O Taste And See. The piece has become a beloved staple for choirs around the world. O'Donnell might have had the privilege of being part of the inner workings of royalty, but it did come with a price. With the Abbey sitting at the heart of London and frequently hosting local and international VIPs, he often had to live with intrusive security measures. One memorable occasion for O'Donnell was a private memorial service attended by the Queen as well as active members of the British intelligence service. "I had to be escorted backwards and forwards to my house by a police officer," O'Donnell says. No member of the congregation was to be photographed and O'Donnell says "nobody was allowed into the sterile area." "The sterile area was between my office, the choir room and my house [in the precinct of the Abbey]." "It could be a little inconvenient at times, but I thought that was a small price to pay for the privilege," O'Donnell says. Sometimes, the rewards outweighed the inconvenience. The wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, which was watched by more than a billion people worldwide, was one of the highlights of O'Donnell's career. "There were many discussions as to what music was chosen by the couple and the now king," O'Donnell says. "It was a very joyful occasion and musically satisfying for the orchestra and choir." Princess Kate's walk down the aisle of the Westminster Abbey was accompanied by Hubert Parry's I Was Glad. She passed through the musicians who were situated on either side of the aisle on her way to the altar. Ironically for O'Donnell, being the Abbey's Principal organist meant he rarely had the chance to play the organ. "It's a rather archaic job title," O'Donnell says, adding that his role was more focused on rehearsing and conducting the choristers on a day-to-day basis. Despite its royal status, the Abbey is still a working church. "We have daily evensong choral services open to the public as well as Sunday services," O'Donnell says, adding televised occasions such as royal weddings and funerals grew out of these daily routines. Aside from historic state occasions, the Queen, who was the head of the Church of England and a staunch music lover, was often present during many of these services. "Often when we performed a new commission, [the Queen] would say 'I enjoyed the music'," he says. "These were often newly created pieces of music that were carefully crafted for [special] occasions and the Queen's words were much appreciated." As rewarding as his role was, O'Donnell has enjoyed having more time to spend playing the organ alongside his current teaching position at Yale University in the US. He has a warm spot for Australia, bringing the Westminster Abbey Choir on tour in 2007. Last year, he gave recitals in Adelaide and Sydney, inaugurating the new organ at Sydney's historic St James King St church. One of the highlights of O'Donnell's current Australian visit will be playing the Sydney Opera House's Grand Organ. He says it is built differently to a lot of church organs. "Westminster Abbey organ or St. Paul's Cathedral organ is designed to support worship," O'Donnell says. "They don't overwhelm the choir when they're being played." The Sydney Opera House's organ, on the other hand, is 15 meters high and 13 meters wide. "It is the largest mechanical action organ in Australia, [meaning] despite its size, it uses actual levers instead of electricity to operate," O'Donnell explains. Despite being a fixture of the Concert Hall, the organ is rarely used for solo performances. "I know what it sounds like and you can hear it online," O'Donnell says. "I've never played it but I'm looking forward to it." You can hear James O'Donnell with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane on July 26 and 27, and at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday July 29. ABC Classic will broadcast a live recording of his Brisbane concert in August.
France 24
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
King's musical sage Errollyn Wallen blazes new path
The 67-year-old became the Master of the King's Music last year, a 400-year-old post and one of the classical world's top honours that involves composing works for landmark events and advising the king on musical matters for royal occasions. "He's very musical, which everybody's really thrilled about," Wallen told AFP. "He likes listening to music and he is curious about it -- he has broad tastes, which is really wonderful," added Wallen, who premiered her "funky" new composition "Elements" at the first night of the renowned Proms music festival in London on Friday. Charles showed a lighter side in March when he shared his favourite songs from around the Commonwealth in an Apple podcast, revealing a surprising appreciation of disco, reggae and Afrobeats and including hits from such artists as Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross. In a sign of his musical conviction, Charles sought advice from Wallen -- "but in the end the king chose his own" songs, she said. "It was important for him to choose tracks that brought back personal memories to him and that's the power of music," said the pianist, violinist and singer. "Think of the people he's met, all the great musicians. It's incredible," added the self-confessed cake fanatic. Teacher inspiration Wallen was born in the former British colony of Belize in 1958, and soon showed signs of a precocious talent. "My parents said that as a baby, I didn't cry, but I was always singing." She moved to London aged two and her mother and father then relocated to New York, leaving her and her siblings, one of whom is the jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen, in the care of her aunt and uncle. "I was always making up songs for any boring chore," she recalled. Wallen credits a junior school teacher for setting her on her current path. "I was very lucky that at school, all of us nine-year-olds were taught to read and write music, but also introduced to orchestral music." However, she received little encouragement to pursue a career as a composer. "I love my family, but I think there was the idea that you wouldn't step out of the ordinary," she explained. Another early memory is of a non-music teacher telling her "you know, little girl, classical music isn't for you". "These subtle messages going in that I might be good at music, but I wouldn't belong to that world. "But I was so curious and passionate about music... I think the negative messages didn't go in deeply." 'So shocked' Indeed, taking the road less travelled only strengthed her conviction and "led me into other paths of music making which has stood me in great stead". "I was a keyboard player and I played music in the community and care homes -- it opened my eyes to how music can touch people." It was at boarding school that the classical bug really took hold, and it was later nurtured at Goldsmiths', King's College London and King's College, Cambridge. Wallen also appeared as a backing artist for the 1990s girl group "Eternal" and performed as a tap dancer, having trained as a dancer in London and New York. She had her own recording studio, and her work includes 22 operas and a range of orchestral, chamber and vocal compositions. Her arrangement of Hubert Parry's "Jerusalem" was performed at the Last Night of the Proms in 2020, and she also composed a piece for the Paralympics Opening Ceremony in 2012. But she still admitted to being "so shocked" when the palace called last July, generating headlines about her being the first black woman to assume the role. "I had to remind the palace, I'm the first black person, full stop. There's never been a person of colour in this role, since 1626." Charles I created the role to take charge of his personal band, but today it mainly entails advising and composing. "I wrote something for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier in the year... and I did say to the palace my main objective is to be a kind of music ambassador," she said, adding that "children are my priority".
